Former Texas Longhorns Coach Mack Brown Calls Out New Transfer Rules

College football has changed dramatically in such a short amount of time, and the main culprit is undoubtedly the transfer portal.

Whereas players transferring was once the exception, it has now become the rule due to the portal offering more freedom than ever before. Over 4,000 players entered the portal this offseason alone, and that number is only going to grow each year.

For legendary Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown, though, the issue isn't the amount of players hitting the portal, but the fact they can now transfer several times throughout their careers.

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown looks on during the second half against the Boston College Eagles. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

“If a young guy transfers five times, his chances of graduating are nearly nothing,” Brown told David Pollack on the "See Ball Get Ball" podcast. “I think if you transfer once some of the courses do not transfer in, so you’ve got like a 63% chance to graduate. If you transfer a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth time… you’re not gonna graduate. You’re not going to have a fanbase who loves you or will help you. You’re Georgia [directed at Pollack]. Everybody knows the school you’re loyal to. Your people love you. You’re recognized. That’s not gonna happen with a guy who transfers four or five times.

“So then, you’re not going to be able to get a job. You don’t have a degree and I really worry about mental health. When this young person is out there and he made more NIL money to go to a school than he’s going to be able to make for the rest of his life. That’s a problem for sure. We’ve got to look at what’s best for the players, what’s best for the families and what’s best for the sport. We’ve got to get a group of smart people together because we’ve made decisions without looking at the consequences.”

Brown, 73, coached at Texas from 1998-2013, winning a national championship in 2005. He then came out of retirement to return to North Carolina, where he originally coached before coming to Texas, for the past six years, so he knows how the transfer portal has changed the game.

In order to fix these issues, Brown believes it will need to be a group effort.

“We can say that’s not legal, but the NFL is doing it,” Brown said. “So whether it’s collective bargaining or player unions, let’s get a group of smart people. Let’s get congress and commissioners. The ADs and presidents. Let’s get players. Let’s get the Drake Maye‘s, let’s get the top players and coaches in the country. Get them all in a room and let’s throw out all the lawsuits and figure out what is best for everybody involved. How do we get our game back?”